Guidelines for adopting rescues

guidelines

PIXIE’S LEGACY - A Doberman Rescue
Doberman Pinscher Club of Western New York
ucdxpixie@heelynndobes.com

Who we are
PIXIE’S LEGACY is the rescue arm of the Doberman Pinscher Club of Western New York. All of our members are volunteers. We do not have a permanent shelter. The dogs in our program are housed in foster homes until permanent homes can be found. We also keep a referral list of Dobermans in private homes and local shelters. Dobermans on our referral list are not in our program. You should contact the owner or shelter directly.

We can only consider adoption and foster applications where our volunteers can do home visits- currently Central and Western New York.

Step 1. Application
All prospective adopters and fosters must first fill out an application. This gives us time to contact your veterinarian for a reference and helps us get a general idea of what kind of dog you are looking for. After this is completed, we will contact you to set up a home visit.

Step 2. Home visit
A PIXIE’S LEGACY volunteer will visit your home to perform a home visit. This mini-interview allows us to get to know you better, evaluate the environment in which the adopted or foster dog will live, and helps us to better ascertain which dog will be the best match for your household and lifestyle. It also allows us to verify any information you have listed on you application such as fenced-in-yard. Please allow 7 to 10 days for a representative to contact you to schedule a home visit. Please remember that our members are volunteers who work full-time jobs and commit to our program because of their love of the breed.

Step 3. Meeting the Available Dobermans
Once we successfully check your references and complete the home visit , you will be invited to meet the Doberman of your choice. If possible, we encourage you to look at all of the available dogs in our program that fit your profile. These dogs are in foster homes in Central/ Western NY. You will be expected to travel to these homes to meet and visit with your potential adopted Doberman. All members of the family (including any family dogs) should attend this initial meeting. If we currently do not have a Doberman in the program that matches your needs, we will retain your application until one does find its way into our program.

Step 4. Adoption Contract and Adoption fee
To complete a valid adoption, an adoption contract must be signed and an adoption fee of $175.00 will be charged. We reserve the right to change this fee based on special circumstances (i.e. elderly or special needs dobes) this fee is deposited into our pool of funds to help the next Doberman in need of our assistance.

We Require Adopters to Promise:
to care for the dog lovingly (including providing adequate food, shelter, water, veterinary care, and love).
to ensure the dog is maintained on heartworm preventative.
to keep all immunizations, including Rabies, current and updated according to a veterinarian’s schedule.
to license the dog in accordance with the laws and ordinances and to abide by the leash laws and ordinances of the municipality, county, and state in which the adopter lives.
to ensure that the dog wears a collar and identification tags at all times.
to keep the dog as a house pet, to be exercised in a fenced yard or on a leash, and not be allowed to roam the streets.
not to sell, trade, or dispose of the dog in any way. If for any reason the adoption is not found to be satisfactory for you or the rescue dog, you must return the dog to PIXIE’S LEGACY.
that the dog will not be used for any medical or experimental purpose. Participation in studies designed to improve the health of Dobermans may be allowed (e.g. the University of Guelph’s Cardiomyopathy study). You must obtain the written consent of PIXIE’S LEGACY before participating in any study.
that the dog will not be kept chained or tied.
that the dog will not be trained or used as an attack or guard dog.
and that PIXIE’S LEGACY may examine and make inquiry regarding the dog at any time and retake custody of the dog if the adopter fails to abide by the terms of the adoption contract.

We maintain contact with our adoptive families and encourage them to contact us in case they have any questions or problems.

We strongly encourage our adopters to participate in obedience classes. Positive reinforcement/ motivational methods are recommended for most rescue dobes.

About Our Dobes:
We do our best to adopt out dogs with good dispositions. As a rule, animal shelters will not allow us to rescue a dog that appears mean or aggressive. If a dog shows signs of aggression toward people after it is rescued, it will be withdrawn from the program. Nevertheless, we cannot guarantee that a dog will not be aggressive, bite, or otherwise injure people. We, therefore, insist that all adopters agree in writing to hold us harmless and indemnify us if the dog causes injury.

We tell adopters about the behavior we observe. We also spend a considerable amount of money on veterinary care and do our best to make sure the dogs are healthy, or at least that the adopter is made aware of any medical conditions a dog may have. We cannot be sure, however, that we have observed all aspects of a dogs behavior. Nor can we be certain that all medical conditions have been diagnosed. We, therefore, make no warranties or representations as to the health, fitness, demeanor, or well being of each dog.

All dogs are spayed or neutered prior to placement. If you want a dog for breeding purposes, please call us. We will not have a dog for you, but we may be able to refer you to a reputable breeder. All dogs in our program have been spayed/ neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested and placed on heartworm prevention. Most of our dogs incur expenses greater than the adoption fee. Your contribution will ensure that our program can continue its work.

Adoption/ Foster Guidelines


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